Three Minutes
by generalnothingness
Summary: The small watch counted down from three minutes. DL Angst. Part two is up 2.23.07.
1. Part One

**Title:** Three Minutes  
**Rating:** K+  
**Spoilers:** None that I can remember.  
**Summary:** The small watch that she had dug out of her gym bag sat on the toilet tank, slowly counting down from three minutes. D/L Angst.  
**A/N:** Super big thanks to **sugah** and **Kennedy** for beta-ing this for me. Wub you two. Second part of this should be up in a few days. Also, I'm a review whore, so...indulge me.

**Part 1**

_03:00:00_

Lindsay's hands were shaking as she ran them under the warm water. Her thoughts were racing through her head, making her dizzy. Her bright, brown eyes kept flicking to the little white stick sitting next to her on the sink. She slammed her eyes shut as a wave of nausea washed over her. Her still-shaking hands cupped together to gather water, and she raised them to splash her face.

The small watch that she had dug out of her gym bag sat on the toilet tank, slowly counting down from three minutes. She shot a quick glance at it.

_02:46:28_

Over the sound of running water, she heard a key in the door. She shut the faucet off and rubbed her hands dry on a towel, thankful that the shaking had lessened. A glance out the bathroom door showed her that Danny was home. She heard him throw his keys on the table beside the door, the sound of them sliding across the polished wood making her wince. She heard him unclip his gun holster, followed by his badge, and she knew that in a moment he would set both items on the dresser. It was his routine, one that never wavered, and she found it endearing.

She shot another look at the watch.

_02:09:29_

Lindsay stuck her head out of the bathroom, glancing toward their bedroom before calling his name.

"Danny?" She winced when she heard her voice crack. She heard him kick his shoes toward the back of their closest before coming into the bathroom.

"Hey, babe," he said before leaning down to catch her lips in a chaste kiss. Her eyes closed, and her arms slipped around his waist as she sighed into the kiss. For a moment she forgot why she had called him into the bathroom. She forgot why she had been so anxious just moments before. She forgot how to breathe. The moment was shattered when he pulled away.

Lindsay tried not to, but her traitorous eyes flicked to the watch once again.

_01:26:18_

Danny followed her gaze to the watch, a questioning look in his eyes. His eyes swept over the rest of the bathroom before finally coming to rest on the small white stick sitting innocently next to a bar of soap. She felt him stiffen in her arms, and she had to shut her eyes to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.

Danny was silent for a moment before finally choking out, "Linds." He cleared his throat and swallowed before stepping out of the circle of her arms. Lindsay's eyes shot to the watch.

_01:04:54_

"Are you…?" Danny started to ask, having to stop himself so he could clear his throat again.

"I don't know." Lindsay looked at the floor. "There's still one minute left." In the back of her mind she made a mental note to mop the floor of the bathroom. She finally looked up when Danny had been silent for a moment too long. She slowly lifted her eyes to look into his sparkling blue ones.

"Do you want…?" he asked, gesturing to her stomach.

"I don't know." They both shot another look at the watch.

_00:50:32_

"I hadn't thought about it," she said, finishing her response.

Danny took a deep breath, running his hand over face. "This is a big deal."

"I know," Lindsay replied, mimicking his breathing patterns. "I'm sorry," she breathed out, her eyes lowering to the floor again.

"Lindsay," Danny said, tipping her face up so she was forced to look at him. His eyes held several emotions. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it. Together," he said, putting emphasis on the word. "Understand?"

She nodded slowly. She swallowed before allowing Danny to pull her into a hug.

"I love you. And I will love this baby," he whispered into her hair.

Lindsay's breath hitched, and she pulled her head off of Danny's chest to look up into his face. The tears that she had been holding back finally spilled over her lids and traveled down her cheeks. Danny's hands came up to cup her cheeks, his thumbs slowly wiping away the tears as they fell steadily from her brown eyes. He lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers softly. This kiss was so unlike the first one. Danny poured every emotion into the kiss, letting Lindsay know that this was real, that he wasn't going anywhere, and that he loved her. In return, she responded in the same way. Every fear, every anxious moment she had felt in the past few moments seemed to melt away with his kiss.

Until the watch on the tank started beeping.

Startled, out of their moment of unrestrained emotion, both of them suddenly pulled away. Lindsay silently reached over to turn off the alarm on the watch before turning back to look at Danny. They came to a silent agreement that they would look at the small white stick together. They each took a deep breath before slowly turning to look at the offending object.

"Wait!" Danny said suddenly. Lindsay jumped at the sound of his voice echoing off the walls of the small bathroom.

"What?" she asked, worried that he had changed his mind and wanted nothing to do with her.

"How are we supposed to tell if it's positive or negative? I mean, is it pink and blue, or is it like the one with the plus and minus sign?"

Lindsay almost laughed at the rapid pace of her boyfriend's question. Almost. She grabbed the directions off the toilet tank, where she had put them next to the watch. She quickly scanned them. When she found the answer, she set the paper back on the toilet.

"If there are two lines, it's positive; one, it's negative."

"Okay. You ready?"

She nodded and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it in reassurance. They both turned and leaned over the sink, looking at the object that could change their lives forever.


	2. Part Two

**Title:** Three Minutes  
**Rating:** K+  
**Spoilers:** None that I can remember.  
**Summary:** The small watch that she had dug out of her gym bag sat on the toilet tank, slowly counting down from three minutes. D/L Angst.  
**A/N:** Super big thanks to **sugah** and **Kennedy** for beta-ing this for me. Wub you two. Second part of this should be up in a few days. Also, I'm a review whore, so...indulge me.

**Part 2**

There was a lump in her throat, and she was once again holding back tears. She heard Danny release the breath that he had been holding. She saw him glance at her from the corner of her eye, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him just yet. She didn't trust herself to speak.

One line.

"Linds," Danny whispered. Lindsay shut her eyes and felt a tear fall, following the tracks of its predecessors. "Lindsay? Oh, baby," he said, pulling her into a hug. He held her for a moment before lifting her head to look at him. "You wanted this, didn't you?"

She didn't answer him, still afraid to speak, and pulled out of his embrace. She turned away from him, wrapping her arms around her waist. She swallowed again, taking her time before answering him.

"I-I don't know, Danny. I mean…it's absurd. Us? With a child?" She laughed bitterly before choking on a sob. "Bu-but for a second…it was there. A piece of both of us." She took a deep breath. "And I wanted it," she said, before breaking down completely.

Danny was silent for a moment, watching his girlfriend hold herself up as sobs racked her body. He couldn't think of anything to say or do to make her feel better. He'd never really seen himself as a father, having decided long ago that he'd seen enough violence to know that raising a child in New York wasn't ideal.

But when he'd found out that it was a possibility, even for just a second, that Lindsay could've had his baby, he'd been impossibly happy.

Danny took a step toward Lindsay, intending on consoling her. He wrapped his arms around her small shoulders, feeling them shake with her sobs. "I wanted it, too," he whispered into her hair, tightening his grip on her. He had to get a better grip on her after that because her knees had given way, and he lowered her to the floor before following her. He pulled her into his lap, leaning back onto the side of the bathtub. Her head rested against his shoulder, her forehead pressed into his neck. Her crying had slowed, so he moved his head to get a look at her.

The mascara that she had put on that morning was all but washed away, the make-up creating dark trails down her cheeks. Her eyes were red, as was her nose, and her cheeks were splotchy. She was beautiful. He laid her head back on his shoulder and held her closer.

They stayed like that for hours before Danny was forced to get up, lest his legs go completely numb. He helped Lindsay up, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, leading her out into their bedroom.

She was exhausted; he could see that in her face and movements. He sat her on the side of the bed before moving to the head of it to pull the covers down. He stepped back to Lindsay to help her out of her shoes. As he knelt in front of her, she looked down into his face. Lindsay's eyes were sad and tired, and it made Danny want to cry. He'd never seen anyone look as helpless as his girlfriend did at that moment.

He finished removing her shoes, and leaned her back onto the bed before covering her with the blankets. He quickly removed his clothing and crawled into bed behind his girlfriend. His arms wrapped around her from behind, and she placed her own hands over his. His head found its place behind her neck, allowing him to breathe in her sweet scent.

They had a lot they needed to talk about, but that could wait until the morning. For now, all they wanted to do was sleep; thoughts of babies and the future chased away by stray caresses and whispered 'I love you's.' Both Danny and Lindsay's breathing slowed – a sign that both were falling asleep. Danny fought for wakefulness, wanting to make sure that Lindsay hit Slumberland before him.

Danny waited until he was sure that Lindsay was asleep before relaxing into a more comfortable position. He kissed the back of her neck where her skin was exposed and whispered softly into the dark, "I love you."

_Fin_.


End file.
